The ABF 2020: Policy Analysis Exposition

Illustration of an Australian Border Force officer (image source: blog.careerhq.com.au)

Text by Ridwan Arifin

Border integrity is an integral part of the Australian Government’s concern to protect the nation and serve the community along the Australia’s borders. Australia Border Force (ABF) is made up by border authorities from different departments where they work at points of entry such as international airports, seaports, and other premises across the Australia’s border.

The ABF has issued the document known as ABF 2020 where the purpose of this document is to outline the challenges in external environment and to provide a clear roadmap or direction of the ABF to complete the mission and vision to cope with the challenges from the external factors. Reasons for writing this document are twofold: a change which brings opportunity and the establishment of ABF between the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) in 2015.

The content of this document comprises the ABF’s roles, opportunities and challenges, the ABF in 2020, ABF officers in 2020, travellers and traders in 2020, building ABF 2020, and governing the change. This document signifies problem definitions and agenda-setting which relates to a policy cycle (Althaus, Bridgman, & Davis, 2013). It mentions eight key areas of focus for the ABF in 2020: operating with clear accountabilities, responsible and streamlined in border processing, credible and consistent, intelligence informed, agile and mobile, directed at frontline operations, operationally ready and an effective collector of border revenue.

The ABF 2020 describes the important strategies in protecting Australia’s border and managing the movement of people and goods across it. This document explains the analysis about costs and benefits as discussed in the opportunities and challenges section (ABF 2020, 2016, pp. 12-14). It includes issues like more complex risk profile at borders subject to economy and community, visa cancellations due to breaches or non-compliance with visa conditions, other types of organised crime activity, and ABF resource constraints.

To resolve the challenges, the ABF document provides solutions which will be supported through an innovation in their implementation and use of technology improvements. The document explains costs in prevention and response for organised crime and the annual operating budget while benefits are also illustrated by the significant growth in volumes like generating revenues from trade and travel and economy prosperity.

It is claimed that border control is a selective control which is not only focusing on the public service, but it defines a physical border in terms of national security, profits, and benefits to community (Johnson et al., 2011). Having analysed the costs and benefits, the ABF’s decision-making is evolutions in policy and strategic policy development in relation to the facilitation of trade and travel and collection of customs revenues. However, the document does not apply the steps of cost-benefit analysis according to the Guidance Note: Cost-Benefit Analysis as in (Cost-Benefit Analysis Guidance Note, 2016).

Further, the two most significant aspects in the ABF 2020 point out whole-of-government initiatives (Christensen & Lægreid, 2007), and Command, Control, Coordination or C3 model (ABF 2020, 2016, p.20). The whole-of-government initiative in ABF (ABF 2020, 2016, p.8) is illustrated in ABF operating environment merging border agencies into one task force, involving partnerships with other agencies supported by the technology enhancement referring to directions of legislation, policy, agenda, strategy, and group advice.

The C3 model reflects value-based elements in which tough and tender-mindedness are constructed in the policy instruments because it contains management of routine operations, joint taskforce, work culture, and framework in ABF. In key areas of focus for ABF in 2020, it employs the evidence-based policy (Banks, 2009) considering three lenses of knowledge and evidence: political judgement, scientific research and professional practices. Relating to sources of evidence, this section includes snapshots of protecting the vulnerable, airline liaison programme, blended teams, and taskforce Cadena referred as scientific researches (ABF 2020, 2016, pp. 22-29).

The key areas show professional practices in border policy such as border structures, border continuum, border management, border control technology, frontline operations, and border revenues collection. The 8 keys areas of focus subscribe to the political direction by government policy direction and agendas and is based on the Australian Government priorities in the Department’s four strategic objectives and as specified in Strategic Policy and Planning Division, Department’s Strategy 2020, and Corporate Plan in the governing the change section (ABF 2020, 2016, p.42).

In the section of travellers and traders in 2020, it demonstrates travel and trade facilitation before entering the border, arrival clearance and border processing. Tholen (2010) in the study of border control management, discusses a border control as proactive not reactive strategies, including the risk management not only the activity of inspecting travellers, but also collecting any data in the use of technology. In the last part of this document, it displays the table of a 4-year action plan consisting of 3 waves and governing the change. It is a comprehensive roadmap where 8 key areas of focus become items through each wave began in July 2016 by finalising the integration, July 2017 by building core capability, and July 2020 with ABF as the world leading border protection agency.

I argue that this document consists of elements of public policy and effective governance, accountability, professional ethics and values, and law enforcement. In contrast, it does not include a citizen participation that community is involved in the policy decision-making process through public hearings. Callahan (2006, pp.149-151) suggests in policy making process, as values in democracy, it promotes roles of public, public participation or civic engagement to provide any recommendations in the form of a citizen involvement like public hearings and surveys.

In conclusion, the Australian Border Force (ABF) has published a significant document called ABF 2020 as a complete guideline in protecting the borders and community through integrated border agencies, partnerships, use of technology, border management, economy growth training for officers based on the direction. The framework of this document is composed with the positivist and post-positivist approach in the policy making process and decision-making. I argue this document relates to the Australian Border Force Act 2015 No.40 including the amended Act No.115 of 2017, and the Blueprint for Home Affairs (Blueprint for Home Affairs 2018). In relation to wave 1 and 2 concepts, previous documents or reports about ABF in 2016 and 2017 are not found. The ABF 2020 document is recommended to provide an evaluation of each wave which is part of a policy process.

References:

ABF 2020. (2016). Retrieved from Australia: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/commitments/files/abf-2020.pdf

Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2013). The Australian policy handbook (6 ed.). News South Wales: Allen & Unwin.

Banks, G. (2009). Evidence-based policy-making: what is it? how do we get it? [This is an edited version of speech in the ANZSOG/ANU Public Lecture Series, at the Shine Dome, Canberra on 4 February 2009. Paper in special issue: Policy Theory and Practice.]. Public Administration Today(20), 9-23.

Blueprint for Home Affairs (2018). ACT: Communication and Engagement Branch Retrieved from https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/commitments/files/blueprint-for-home-affairs.pdf

Callahan, K. (2006). Elements of effective governance: measurement, accountability and participation: Routledge.

Christensen, T., & Lægreid, P. (2007). The whole‐of‐government approach to public sector reform. Public Administration Review, 67(6), 1059-1066.

Cost-Benefit Analysis Guidance Note. (2016). Australia: Australian Government Retrieved from https://www.pmc.gov.au/resource-centre/regulation/cost-benefit-analysis-guidance-note

Johnson, C., Jones, R., Paasi, A., Amoore, L., Mountz, A., Salter, M., & Rumford, C. (2011). Interventions on rethinking ‘the border’in border studies. Political Geography, 30(2), 61-69.

Tholen, B. (2010). The changing border: developments and risks in border control management of Western countries. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 76(2), 259-278.